Wall clocks can have many different characteristics. They look modern, can be rustic, analogue or digital, have a radio movement, tick or be noiseless... Finding the right one that suits your own tastes and then meets all the required requirements is not always easy despite a huge supply.

It is easy, however, to buy a suitable movement and set this in a visually appealing housing. Due to quite uniform designs, many movements can even exchange and thus equip the beloved old collector's piece with a radio movement.

However, if you like it individually, you can build your own wall clock yourself.

Our construction manual shows a wall clock made of pallet house, which even offers space to attach your own pictures. With the first self-painted picture of the child she gets her very own character.

Tool list and material requirements

material requirements

Remainder of a Euro pallet or similar wood

Movement for 24 mm dials

Pointer to the clockwork

about 10 screws 4 x 40 mm

Oil for wood treatment or paint

Hemp rope or similar for suspension

needed tools

Saw (jigsaw, circular saw or hand saw)

Grinding tool (orbital sander, eccentric sander, delta sander)

Cordless Screwdriver

stapler

Drill (manual, bench drill or powerful cordless drill)

1st step: cutting and planning

The basic material of our wall clock is old wood, which can come from a Euro pallet or similar. In our construction manual half a pallet is used, which was left over during the construction of other pallet furniture (coffee table).

The existing boards are sawed off and used without any special measures, which is available. A special arrangement should not be specified here. Vielmer can be tried out in the next step, how the individual pieces can be arranged visually appealing. If necessary, one or the other board can be adjusted here. However, it is important to decide in this step, which should form the visible surfaces later.

Saw off the boards of a pallet

Try something for a good arrangement

Step 2: Sand surfaces of the wall clock

Having found a good arrangement of the available boards for our wall clock, the surfaces can be worked. For a good removal, which is often necessary for europallets, is particularly suitable an eccentric grinder. Belt sanders would indeed increase the removal, but are only partially suitable for uneven or curved boards.

Side surfaces should use a smaller grinder, such as a delta sander or oscillating tool. These are lighter and easier to apply on small areas.

Depending on the condition of the boards, sandpaper with very coarse sandpaper (40 - 80 grain) before and with finer (180 grain). Edges are better deburred without mechanical help by hand.

Grind large area with the eccentric sander

Delta sander or oscillation tool for side surfaces

3rd step: Flames the surface for a clear grain

Before the next step, all boards should be repositioned to get an overall impression. Do you like the bright polished surface or is it going to be more rustic?

If you prefer a wall clock with a particularly rustic design, the wood can still flames (flames, flames, branding). For this purpose, a flame - a good Heisluftpistole is equally suitable - evenly over the wood surface out and the wood so it is slightly scorched. The grain responds more quickly with a dark discoloration, which particularly emphasizes. The strength of the charring can be adapted to your own taste.

The important thing about flames is that the flame is kept at a constant distance from the wood and that the speed of the flame is constant over the wood. In order to avoid dark spots, the flame should be kept very flat, which increases the area of ​​the temperature output. It is helpful as well to approach the gap slowly. Once the correct distance has been found, the flame can be quickly guided along the timber in the longitudinal direction.

Wall clock with polished surface

Flames emphasizes the grain of the wood

Step 4: Screw wall clock from pallet wood

A final test setup shows whether the design fits and the wall clock can be screwed. If you like the visible screw heads, you are welcome to screw them from the front, otherwise there is a concealed screw connection from the back. It should already be paid attention to where later the movement is positioned to avoid contact.

In a pure wall clock, of course, the movement can be positioned in the middle and large hands can be used. In order to use the wood surface for attaching images, the hands are smaller and the movement is housed in a corner or on the edge.

If the individual boards are slightly arched, the screws must not be tightened too tight! On the one hand, it could happen that the pallet wood bursts, on the other hand, the non-flat boards support the rustic design.

Determine the position of the clock

Visible to taste or bolted from behind

Step 5: Install clockwork in our wall clock

If the movement is positioned, as with our self-made wall clock, so that two boards intersect, the back must be sawed out to provide enough space. For this purpose, the center is marked and sawn the rear board with the hole saw. Optimal for this is a bench drill, a powerful cordless drill but enough as well. For a better guidance of the hole saw, the center hole can already be drilled through both boards. At the back board she serves the hole saw and in the front she must then be drilled to the appropriate diameter of the clockwork.

Drill middle hole for movement

Use the hole saw to cut out the rear board

Not always a sufficiently large hole saw is available, which creates enough space for the movement. If this is the case, the contour of the movement is transferred to the board and can be worked out using a jigsaw. It is also possible to machine the entire contour from the outset with the jigsaw.

The movement should still be installed at this point, so as not to damage it during final work.

Mark the contour of the movement

Cut out with the jigsaw and adjust to the movement

Step 6: Oil the wooden wall clock

Untreated wood is sensitive to environmental influences, yellowing and can not be wiped wet. If you still want to preserve the natural look of the wood, the surface can be oiled. This has the additional advantage that the wood darkens somewhat and looks more natural.

Oiling the surface

The process of oiling is quite simple and can be done without special aids.

In the first step, the oil is applied fully saturated and spread with a lint-free cloth.

After about 10 - 15 minutes, the oil should be absorbed by the wood. Any remaining oil is spread with a rag and wiped off.

To completely absorb the oil, the wood should now dry for 12 hours. It makes sense to let it dry overnight.

In the same order, another oil application can be made. If there is still noticeable absorption of the oil, this passage must also be repeated

Finally, the wood can be slightly polished with a soft cloth.

Danger: Oil-soaked rags can ignite themselves. They should therefore always be stored in a sealed metal container or a bucket filled with water.

Step 7: Attach the suspension to the wall clock

The suspension of the wall clock should fit the general style of the clock and also seem a bit rustic. Matching this is a hemp rope or the like, which is available in every hardware store. This is knotted at the ends and fastened with the stapler.

The laying of the rope does not have to be exact and can partly be made visible. Only the staples should not be visible.

After the suspension has been attached, the clockwork can be installed and the hands are attached. If you like, you can also glue numbers on the wood or use the space available for attaching pictures.

Attach the suspension rope with the tacker

A visible rope looks especially good

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